HYDERABAD,
SEPT. 12.
A gang of four robbers took away Rs. 2 lakhs in cash and 10 tolas gold ornaments from the house of a retired employee of BHEL even as the beat police constables were signing the point book in a nearby house at Vivekanandanagar Extension of Kukatpally early on Sunday.

The house owner, Y.V.R. Murthy, and his wife, Bhavani, were sleeping when the offenders entered inside by removing grills of the kitchen window around 3 a.m. They took some sticks and iron rods lying in the house and went straight into Mr. Murthy's room.

After waking him up, they threatened the old couple not to raise an alarm and bolted the bedroom of Mr. Murthy's son from outside. "All this while our beat constables were signing the point book in another house a few yards away. Our men didn't have the faintest idea of what was happening as none raised an alarm," the Kukatpally Inspector, Radha Krishna, said.

The offenders ensured there was no noise and switched on only the bed light. "They were careful and didn't talk to Mr. Murthy, but used signs to put across their warnings", the Inspector explained. Before leaving, they warned the couple to kill if police were alerted about the offence. Thirty minutes after the gang left, the couple called out the neighbours who alerted Mr. Murthy's son.